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Saturday, April 09, 2005

Travel Journal, day 4

We've decided that it's a good thing we're headed back to Texas tomorrow. Everyday we look a little more bedraggled. From the time we get up from the breakfast table to the time we finally get back to the hotel room, we are up and down and back and forth. Up to go get another film from the row after row of film cabinets. Down to the floor to sit cross-legged while checking the indexes of every book available on a county of interest. Back to the microfilm cabinets. Forth to the microfilm printers. And round and round and round we go.

Today was a good day for all of us. We have piles of paper to cart back to Texas. I started off the day determined to find a probate record that, regardless of knowing the volume and page, I could not find to save my life. Yesterday I was ready to kick the microfilm reader. This morning, tanked up with coffee and a good breakfast, I finally puzzled out the problem. For some reason known only to the powers that be in Vermillion County, Indiana, they have three Volume 3's in their probate records. I had to plow through all three of them before I finally happened across the right record. After that success, I located two ancient Wilcoxen wills, the oldest one dating to 1716. A few marriage records here, a probate record there, God's in his heaven and all's right with the world.

Today's lunch break was The Passages restaurant. Great food and orange rolls to die for. I ate two of them and did not waste my time feeling guilty. They're grrrrrrreat! Elegant surroundings with soft piano music to soothe the nerves of folks who have spent the previous 4 hours on activities like pondering why on earth there are three Volume 3's in the probate records of Vermillion County. Or how much money the library rakes in everyday at 5 cents per copy (23 cents for microfilm prints). The three of us averaged a $25 copy expenditure each over 3-1/2 days. Considering the number of folks who pass through their doors, it's a nice little money-maker.

But I digress. We've eaten well, found a lot of good stuff, enjoyed each other's company and bascially had a good time. We'll be back.